US: Researchers aim to help Northern vineyards, winemakers improve quality with new grape
US: Researchers aim to help Northern vineyards, winemakers improve quality with new grape
Mar 29, 2012 6
South Dakota winemaker Dave Greenlee exudes pride as he pours a sample of a 2011 Marquette nearly ready for bottling. Wine connoisseurs who favor vintages from Bordeaux or Napa Valley might not have heard of the grape, but Marquette has been exciting Northern winemakers since a Vermont vintage won best-in-show red at a 2009 cold-climate wine competition.
While wineries have been popping up throughout the Upper Midwest, their vintages have tended to be sweet and often suffer from harshness. Marquette offers vintners a chance to make a good, dry red. Anne Fennell, a viticulturist at South Dakota State University, said one breeder recently described it as “our first real wine grape.”
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